June 3, 2024
An attic is really the last place you would associate with fantastical happenings. Especially when it’s the attic of a school – one full of cobweb-covered furniture, dusty teaching equipment and haphazardly stacked boxes. And yet that is precisely where a handful of children experience their greatest adventure. After all, unbeknownst to them, they have been caught in the spell of “the magic in the attic.”
With their latest production, the instructors leading the Cantara project and, above all, the children participating in it succeeded once again in enchanting the audience at Gütersloh Theater. Regardless of whether the 150 boys and girls onstage were singing, dancing, acting or just having fun, scene after scene, they transported the 400 spectators of all ages into a colorful, turbulent and captivating world. Unsurprisingly, the loudest cheers came from the performers’ fellow students, who had flocked into the theater from specially chartered buses and whose enthusiasm filled the entire auditorium.
“What you are experiencing here is a big community”
“What you are experiencing here is a big community,” Liz Mohn called out, greeting the children. “Each child has different abilities and skills that are waiting to be discovered and nurtured. The opportunity to contribute their ideas and talents is invaluable for the development of every child. That’s why it’s worth being creative together. When everyone contributes, when everyone feels like they’re part of the group, then wonderful things can happen – like this musical.”
Young people becoming aware of their own strengths and abilities is one of the musical’s main themes. In the piece, seven boys and girls each make their way to the school’s attic during a break in classes. For some of the children it’s a place they can escape to, for others it’s spooky. Shortly after arriving in the attic, Cara, the mysterious new girl in class, finds a number of strange books. Curious as children are, they peek into one after the other – and each time they end up in an extraordinary world in which the boundaries between reality and fantasy become blurred. What’s more, each of them suddenly possesses a kind of superhero power that reflects both their strengths and weaknesses. During their magic journey, they learn how to use these new abilities while also embarking on an emotional rollercoaster ride. In the end, they realize: Each of us is unique and together we can make a difference in the world.
Impressive production
As usual with the Cantara productions, which are organized by the Liz Mohn Foundation and the association Gesellschaft in Bewegung, the children sketched out the story themselves and then developed it into a musical during months of rehearsals. They were guided in their efforts by drama teacher Canip Gündogdu, choreographer and dancer Andreas Wegwerth and choir director Leila Benazzouz. Their hard work paid off and they succeeded once again in taking their show to the next level. The combination of music, color, light and shadow was just as impressive as in any professional production, something that was also true of the animation, videos and visual effects that appeared on the oversized screen in the background.
The fantastic response to “The Magic in the Attic” – all three performances were sold out – is a welcome confirmation for the team at the Liz Mohn Foundation that they should continue to develop Cantara further. That way, as many children as possible from Gütersloh, Bielefeld and the surrounding area will have the chance each year to discover and experience their creative talents and thus continue with their personal development. That is also the wish of our founder Liz Mohn: “Our project is running at five elementary schools and one secondary school in Gütersloh and Bielefeld. And we want to expand it further.”
